Red wine is feared in every carpeted household, and rightly so, its highly acidic composition, thick texture and dark tones make it nearly impossible to remove from fabrics after a spill especially if it is allowed to dry. If you make a habit of enjoying a beverage or two in your light-coloured carpeted living room, then you’re bound to encounter an untimely accident that involves red wine clashing with your floor. Here is an old household carpet cleaning tip to help you minimise the damage of red wine to your carpet:
As soon as the spill has occurred, act quickly while it’s still fresh – using white paper towelling make a thick pad of say six or so sections and blot up the bulk of spilt liquid. Repeat as required.  Next, apply a solution of white vinegar and water say 1 table spoon of white vinegar in 500mls of water. Blot as before with absorbent paper or towelling cloth/sponge/microfibre cloth/nappy etc. Avoid using detergent as the alkali will react with the anthcyan (the natural dye that gives wine and berry stains their blue colouring) in the wine and turn it bright pink.

An alternative that also works is to substitute the vinegar/water solution with white wine. It works well but is an expensive exercise and painful for dedicated chardy fans.

Keep in mind that a red wine stain can be extremely tedious to remove so successful removal will require you to take immediate action. Once an untreated spill is allowed to dry your chances of successful removal are significantly diminished. If you are not fully satisfied with the outcome of your stain removal you should look to consult a professional carpet cleaner for further advice or to arrange professional treatment of the affected area.